Exploring a Need for a Cardiometabolic Disease Staging System as a Computerized Clinical Decision Support Tool:...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiometabolic diseases are major causes of illness and death in the U.S.
• Computerized tools for risk assessment are underutilized in primary care.
• Integrating cardiometabolic disease staging systems (CMDS) into computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSS) can improve patient identification and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore current medical management of obesity.
• To assess the need for CMDS to aid in managing obesity and diabetes at the point of care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using a general inductive approach.
• Semistructured, in-depth interviews with 10 primary care providers (PCPs).
• Interview protocol informed by literature on PCP experiences and need for management/prevention tools.

Main Results:

• PCPs prioritize behavioral treatments (diet, physical activity, behavior therapy) for overweight/obesity.
• Key CDSS features desired by PCPs include customizable support, comprehensive medical summaries, patient education resources, and ease of use.

Conclusions:

• A CMDS integrated into a CDSS can enhance PCPs' ability to assess cardiometabolic disease risk.
• This supports clinical management of overweight, obesity, and diabetes.
• Study findings offer insights for optimizing CDSS design, user experience, and adoption.